Podcasts about middle earth

"I was not made for perilous quests" -Frodo BagginsHow far Frodo came from that moment of doubt in his cozy hobbit home. Let's explore the path that Frodo took from adventure-averse to savior of Middle Earth. As well as a dive into a crazy idea: did Frodo kill Gollum? All this and more inside this character dive episode.BECOMING SAMWISE available now on BTMC Protagonist Edition.Sign up for 'BTMC: Protagonist Edition', where you get EXTENDED VERSIONS of the episodes to take you even deeper into the story with more scenes, more lessons, and more of everything that makes the show what it is, as well as access to all of the Character Analysis episodes. Sign up link below: Get BTMC: PROTAGONIST EDITION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://becomingmain.supercast.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠--GET THE FREE NEWSLETTER: "THE SCHOOL OF PROTAGONISM"Substack: ⁠https://substack.com/@schoolofprotagonism⁠FOLLOW BTMC FOR MORE GREAT CONTENT: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/becomingmain⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/becomingmain⁠⁠⁠

Hello my lovely Sleepy Cats, The adventure begins here! As mentioned, we will be enjoying some previously released Middle Earth stories, divided up into episodes, as well as many more brand new tales on the way, which, once the saga is complete, will create the most epic Lord of the Rings sleep adventure. There are so many lands to explore, characters to meet, and stories to weave, and this is only the very beginning. There will also be some exclusive episodes, only for Patrons, so keep an eye out for those in the not so distant future! If you would like to enjoy ad-free content, exclusive sleep stories, live readings and more, then you can join our wonderful Patreon community here: https://www.patreon.com/sleepycatmeditations

For this new show-within-a-show, Craig and Andrew will be learning about the world of Middle-Earth! We're going to read J.R.R. Tolkien's posthumously published legendarium THE SILMARILLION.In this episode, you'll hear us discuss the creation of this epic fantasy, including the work done Christopher Tolkien to wrestle his father's work into a form fit for publication.This is a preview of a series we'll be running exclusively for our Patreon supporters over the next few months; we won't release them on the main feed until the entire series has run. If you want to listen to them as they're released, see patreon.com/overduepod for more! Episode 1 is already up!The reading list:Ep 1 - Ainulindale, Valaquenta, Quenta Silmarillion Ch 1-3Ep 2 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 4-10Ep 3 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 11-16Ep 4 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 17-20Ep 5 - Quenta Silmarillion Ch 21-24Ep 6 - Alkallabeth, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, AppendicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join your favorite group of boys again as they talk about the wonderful world of Lord of the Rings. And guess what? James is back for this venture into Middle Earth. In this episode they'll have their regular wacky conversations as well as some incredibly heartfelt discussions about if they feel like their friends enjoy them as much as they enjoy their friends. Send us a textSupport the showhttps://linktr.ee/thefirsthourpodcast

Join The Man of the West as he continues his journey deep into the valley of Harrowdale, this time climbing a steep road and visiting the ancient Dunharrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight we begin our discussion of the final book in our decade-long study of the History of Middle-earth series! It is time for the Peoples of Middle-earth. Join us on the Signum University Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/szXMFAv

Exploring Satanic Ritual Abuse, Government Projects, and Hollow Earth RealitiesIn this episode of Discovering Truth with Dan Duval, Dan resumes a deeply compelling conversation with three sisters: Andrea, Amanda, and Emily. The sisters share their traumatic experiences related to Satanic ritual abuse and government projects, including mind control programming in a Freemason-influenced church, as well as horrific events associated with their grandfather, who was a member of Hitler Youth.The discussion delves into their early childhood traumas, which led to complex alternate personalities, some of which were even trafficked into different realms like Hollow Earth and engaged in brutal survival games.The episode also explores their interactions with various supernatural beings, including Nephilim, and the psychological impacts, such as gender identity confusion and intricate programming around a 'fake Jesus.' The sisters provide detailed accounts of their experiences in both Middle Earth and Hollow Earth, touching on topics like the Fae kingdoms, elemental spirits, giant ancient trees, and dark subterranean realms.The conversation concludes with each sister reflecting on their ongoing journey to reconnect and trust Jesus Christ amidst the layers of deception and spiritual warfare they have endured.

I am reviving my Substack series on Tolkien's letters, which I am also recording for Tier 2+ patrons at https://www.patreon.com/c/mythicmind.In this freebie episode, I discuss a 1916 letter to Edith Bratt in which Tolkien mentions his "mad hobby" that would one day lead to the creation of Middle-earth. You can find my Substack at https://andrewnsnyder.substack.comWatch the video for this episode and subscribe to my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JIi6gSh-5YWatch Tolkien write and speak a bit of Elvish here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKyaKmDDRdoBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mythic-mind--5808321/support.

IRL, when I need a Favor from Someone, I mentally assign a Difficulty Class to that Request and then look within my Soul to see what Skills I have that would help me get what I want—and it's no different in The One Ring 2e. We go through the Council and Fellowship Phase rules, which are the last systems in TOR 2e we have yet to cover. And then we give a quick review of all the systems. TL;DR: it's okay but is mainly a rehashing of stuff you can find in earlier mainstream and indie games.Show notes page: https://ggnorecast.com/241.# LinksMouse Guard (affiliate link): https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/60496/mouse-guard-roleplaying-game?affiliate_id=433586Realm Guard (hack for playing LOTR with Mouse Guard rules): https://forums.burningwheel.com/t/realm-guard-v1-7/25062Very useful playlist for learning the rules: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtzrTJmLT7YShtRB8JAxi46WWy4ZTslbEBuy The One Ring's core rules (affiliate link): https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/370267/the-one-ring-core-rules?affiliate_id=433586Buy The One Ring's Starter Set (affiliate link): https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/370370/the-one-ring-starter-set?affiliate_id=433586# Where to ListenYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ggnorecast/videosFountain: https://fountain.fm/show/zdPrsM3xGJ1sZTh3qhtXSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2QCbZTD9RbJXJCGesIprbb

What can hobbits, elves, and the wisdom of Middle-earth teach us about relationships? In this special conversation, Christa sits down with Philip Nation, publisher at Thomas Nelson and lifelong Tolkien enthusiast, to explore the profound relationship wisdom hidden within J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved stories. From the faithful friendship of Sam and Frodo to Tolkien's own enduring relationships with family and friends, this episode uncovers timeless principles for building lasting connections. Philip shares how Tolkien's conceptualization of good and evil in every person and the "Gollum in all of us" can both humble us and also draw us back into the light of healthy fellowship in redemption. Watch on YouTube! You'll discover how themes of sacrificial love, patient perseverance, and unexpected grace from The Lord of the Rings and across Middle Earth offer hope and practical wisdom for real-world connections. Perfect for Tolkien fans, literature lovers, and anyone seeking deeper meaning in their relationships - whether romantic, family, or friendship. Includes book recommendations, insights from Tolkien's approach to relationships, and how beauty, truth, and goodness can strengthen all your important connections. Book recommendations in this episode: The Hobbit: https://a.co/d/2WjAMOA Lord of the Rings: https://a.co/d/e3dYL4v The Proverbs of Middle Earth: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999591401?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_QVSYCRNNZADVJC737YW2&bestFormat=true The Letters of JRR Tolkien: https://a.co/d/73lAT0U The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: https://a.co/d/3Kitwsb Visit www.EnneagramandMarriage.com for more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join The Man of the West, who tries to keep his precipices from frowning, for this week's Middle-earth Map Monday as we head to the valley of Harrowdale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We take a quick diversion from Middle Earth to look at one of Tolkien's short stories (Smith of Wooton Major). Does it show some similarities to the Hobbit? Can it teach us anything about Tolkien's opinion on Faery stories?

Similar to the character of Sauron in the fictional world of Middle Earth, we believe there is a very real enemy--an intelligent evil--deceiving minds and presenting himself as an angel of light. But we can rise above the enemy's tactics by trusting in our Savior's ultimate power and allowing God to claim the victory! . . Watchlist | Pastor Patrick Grach | June 29, 2025 . . Stay Connected! Watch live at our Online Campus: Lifehouse.Online Online Website: www.lifehousechurch.org/ Giving: www.lifehousechurch.org/give Facebook: / lifehousechurchorg Instagram: / lifehousechurchorg . . Your generosity enables us to carry out our mission of reaching people with the life-giving message of Jesus and helping them experience life change. To contribute to this goal, visit: www.lifehousechurch.org/give

This week, the stories of Eärendil and the War of Wrath in Chapter XXIV of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. How does Tolkien stick the landing in the story of Beleriand and First Age? How do we understand the consequences of the Oath of Fëanor and the Doom of the Noldor? Are there hints of a happy ending?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, the story of the Second Age and the Fall of Númenor in Akallabêth, live on YouTube on Thursday, July 3rd at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgPopulations of Middle Earth in the First Age - Part 1: The Elves To join me for the live YouTube broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Donato Giancola is one of the most celebrated and talented artists in the world of pop culture. During our enjoyable discussion we talked about his beginnings in the world of art, never ending inspiration he finds in Middle Earth, how classic paintings influence his work, current and upcoming projects and more. Enjoy!

Join The Man of the West as we continue our walk through Middle-earth with a visit to Nan Curunír, Isengard, and Orthanc itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This video goes through some actual gameplay and I also discuss how the game incorporates Tolkien's themes into the mechanics. If you want my review of the game, check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjBJ91OrgZ4Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https://playeur.com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:fTwitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlorePatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tolkiengeekXero Shoes (affiliate link): https://xeroshoes.com/go/TolkienGeekDiscord server invite link: https://discord.gg/EVKynAj2m9 (Iflink is expired contact me at tolkienloremaster@gmail.comand I'll send a fresh invite link).

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 104 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Editor-In-Chief of InSession Film Dave Giannini to discuss the last films in their Peter Jackson series, The Hobbit Trilogy (2012/2013/2014). After the failure of The Lovely Bones, Jackson and company turned their attention back to a familiar place, Middle Earth. First starting as a producer, The Hobbit would find Jackson getting back in the director's chair for the prequel to his acclaimed The Lord of the Rings series, taking over the project from Guillermo del Toro, who seemed to struggle to get his vision of the film to mash with what the studio wanted. Instead of the initial two films suggested to tell the story, Jackson set out to make another trilogy, drawing from other texts of J. R. R. Tolkien in order to expand on this smaller story, giving it a grander history to the original trilogy, as well as adding new characters and elements to the classic tale. But Jackson can't capture the magic of The Lord of the Rings, making a messy, CGI heavy collection of films that become more and more tedious as the trilogy goes on; wasting solid performances because the story is now in the hands of a director more focused on his creative toys than making something as spectacular as the trilogy that made him a household name. Ryan, Jay, and Dave breakdown their thoughts on the films, why they look so ugly, the unnecessary love story found in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, how cool dragons are, how there aren't five armies in The Battle of the Five Armies, why these films turn into being a chore by the time they were released, and wonder if Jackson will ever go back to making feature films. The guys also give out their rankings on the Jackson series and reveal who they will be covering for their next movie series. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h42m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, RoboCop. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

The team chat about how pizzas at the pentagon led to correct predictions of rising tensions between Israel and Iran, schoolground antics at the G7 (otherwise known as the G6+1), Starmer's papers pickup and Trump's pathetic military parade… They also report on Van Gogh's broken chair, Uri Geller's insistence on his psychic powers and play Middle Earth's greatest game: ‘Mordor or More Door?'…  If you enjoy the podcast, please give us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and make sure you subscribe there so you don't miss an episode!    For updates on the show and to get involved in future 'Missing Words Rounds', make sure you're following Have I Got News for You on Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly known as twitter) and get in touch with us there or emailing podcasts@hattrick.com.     Your hosts are Jack Harris  Queenie Miller   Emerald Paston   And Mike Rayment    The Producer is Diggory Waite  The Executive Producer is Claire Broughton  The Music is by Big George    In the News This Week is a Hat Trick Podcast

It's your turn...to click here to send us your comments on the showWe're in Becky's happy place this episode as she takes us through all things bright & beautiful with a focus on nature themed games.  The gang discuss their favourites and why it gives them the cosy feels.FIRST PLAYER: BeckyOTHER PLAYERS: Kerley & Adrian In this episode you'll learn:- All about Adrian's experience with Parks from Keymaster Games- about Kerleys return to a classic space tech tree game, yep theirs only one it's Beyond the Sun by Rio Grande Games- about Becky's love for LOTR: Duel for Middle-Earth by Repos Productions- to take a walk around the meeple managerie as the team walk through nature games and how they fit into the hobbyLINKS REFERENCED IN THE SHOWN/AEPISODE CHAPTERS0:00 - TURN 1 - Player Count1:22 - TURN 2 - Let's Talk About Hex1:30 - Adrian - Parks12:54 - Kerley - Beyond the Sun17:07 - Becky - LOTR: Duel for Middle-Earth19:55 - TURN 3 - Main Event: The meeple menagerie20:18 - Our favourite nature games (Ark Nova, Earth & Everdell)31:30 - Nature can be cutthroat & the feel of nature games (Photosynthesis)34:46 - Nature can be forceful (Spirit Island)38:21 - Educational aspects of nature games42:13 - An aside with Cascadia and the beauty of nature47:06 - The theme can soften game play experiences51:34 - The Span'verse57:36 - Some games which live on the edge of that nature theme1:01:44 - TURN 4 - Receive, Sleeve or Leave1:04:14 - TURN 5 - Penultimate Turn: What's Coming Up1:11:23 - TURN 6 - The Final TurnSupport the showSUPPORTING THE SHOW- Support us on Ko-FiENGAGING WITH THE SHOWWe want your questions so engage with the show through our channels below:- Email Us - BoardGameGeek - Facebook - Instagram- Youtube - TikTok

In this fascinating episode of Fingal's Cave, host Ian Priston sits down with a legendary figure from Pink Floyd's early days - an underground taper known as The Masked Marauder. One of just a few people who recorded the band live in the 1960s, he shares candid memories of the counterculture, classic gigs at UFO and Middle Earth, and capturing historic BBC radio sessions from his living room.Hear personal reflections on:• Syd Barrett and David Gilmour-era Pink Floyd shows• Legendary venues like the Roundhouse and Eel Pie Island• Taping the The Man and The Journey premiere and other bands such as Soft Machine• His bohemian lifestyle, radical activism, and outsider spirit.Now 82 and sharp as ever, the Masked Marauder brings the psychedelic era to life with wit, warmth, and authenticity. A must-listen for Pink Floyd fans, music historians, and anyone interested in the London 1960s underground scene.Recorded at his home on a busy London street, the conversation is rich with atmosphere, quiet pauses, and thoughtful insights. As always, Fingal's Cave favours authentic conversations over formal interviews.Please find here a subtitled version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjUAxlTTvAgSubscribe to Fingal's Cave for more journeys to the edges of Pink Floyd music history.

No, The Man of the West isn't in a hurry and he's no more talkative than usual. Today's Middle-earth Map Monday continues our visit in Rohan as we stop by the Fords of Isen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 103 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lovely Bones (2009). Oh how the mighty fall. By the end of the 2000s, director Peter Jackson was still riding off the high of The Lord of the Rings and King Kong, as he looked to make his next project. In finding the novel The Lovely Bones, Jackson connected with the idea of a young girl using the afterlife to process her death as well as help her family heal after said tragedy, and attempt to catch the person who killed her. Using CGI and green-screen for the in-between world and the afterlife, Jackson tried to bring together one of the most popular young-adult novels of the time, but in doing so, got distracted by his special effects and new techniques for these sequences, and instead, he created an emotionless slog of a film that was (and still is) considered by all to be a massive misstep within his career. Ryan, Jay, and Karen breakdown the film, how Jackson and his team did in adapting the novel to the big screen, the major casting shift at the center of the film, the current status of Saoirse Ronan's career, how Stanley Tucci should never have hair in a movie, and how massive of a misstep it is from the same mind that brought us Heavenly Creatures. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h21m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his set of other Middle Earth films, The Hobbit trilogy. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Al and Kev talk about the Wholesome Direct Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:01:53: Feedback 00:03:18: What Have We Been Up To 00:30:35: Snacko 1.0 00:32:46: Wholesome Direct 01:04:25: Outro Links Snacko 1.0 Wholesome Direct Wholesome Games Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. (0:00:34) Al: My name is Al. (0:00:36) Kev: I’m Kevin. We’re back baby. This is the first episode back, right? (0:00:38) Al: They said they said we couldn’t do it, Kevin. (0:00:41) Al: They said we couldn’t do it. (0:00:43) Al: We said we couldn’t go on a break and come back because no one goes on a break (0:00:46) Kev: The they being you, I think primarily. (0:00:48) Al: and then comes back. (0:00:52) Al: No, everyone. (0:00:53) Al: Nobody believed in me. (0:00:57) Al: But here we are. (0:00:58) Al: back and here we are here today to talk (0:01:00) Al: about so many Cottagecore games like so many that I think some might just be that’s a game (0:01:03) Kev: Oh, a lot like they double. (0:01:06) Kev: It in the last five minutes. (0:01:13) Al: moving on we’ll see we’ll see we are we are here today to talk about the Wholesome Direct (0:01:14) Kev: Yeah, probably a lot of them we’re talking about the wholesome direct everyone (0:01:23) Al: specifically and a bunch of stuff in that not everything because it was an hour long and (0:01:30) Al: talked about everything in an hour long presentation we would probably be here all day and it’s already (0:01:37) Al: half eight at night that’s that’s also that’s also true so we’re going to talk about that we (0:01:37) Kev: and we don’t have enough to talk about it (0:01:40) Kev: ‘cause we don’t care about all of them. (0:01:46) Al: do have one piece of news that I want to cover before that and before that we’re going to talk (0:01:53) Al: about what we’ve been up to but first of all Kevin we’ve got feedback this is being sent in by Katie (0:01:56) Kev: Oh! (0:02:00) Al: of the show I have been listening to the podcast for some time now and it’s a highlight of my week (0:02:02) Kev: Uh-oh. (0:02:06) Al: not last two weeks so sorry I really enjoy hearing your honest and sometimes brutal opinions on games (0:02:06) Kev: When did we ruin it for her? (0:02:14) Al: and I especially enjoy how positive and how much energy Kev has on his solo episodes keep up the (0:02:21) Al: amazing work. There we go Kevin. You got a shout out. (0:02:23) Kev: Okay, I’m going, I’m trying to refrain from, you know, being sarcastic or whatever, putting myself down. But thank you very much. Sincerely, that means a lot. I have a lot of practice talking to myself. I think that’s what it is in my head space. Now, I just put a mic in front of it. (0:02:38) Al: I feel like the brutal opinions on games has to be talking about Shugadu Island, right? (0:02:54) Kev: Oh, I feel like there’s a number of episodes we could point to, including the ones we like. (0:02:58) Al: That is the particularly bad one. Well anyway, thank you Katie for the feedback. If you too (0:03:00) Kev: Yeah. (0:03:05) Al: want to send feedback you can do it on the website harvestseason.club (0:03:08) Al: There’s a feedback from there. Come send us more and you’ll get a mention on the podcast. (0:03:12) Kev: Yeah, all right. (0:03:15) Kev: You’d like right now, yay. (0:03:16) Kev: Thank you, Katie. (0:03:17) Kev: I very much appreciate it. (0:03:19) Al: Next Kevin, what have you been up to? (0:03:22) Kev: Boy, what do I– (0:03:23) Kev: Well, my internet has been out for a week, (0:03:27) Kev: so let’s start with that. (0:03:28) Al: That’s unfortunate. (0:03:29) Kev: Yep, it’s been a headache. (0:03:33) Kev: But here I am using not working internet. (0:03:40) Kev: But that’s kind of– (0:03:42) Kev: affected a lot of my gameplay, because so I didn’t realize just how many of my games are like online only. (0:03:48) Kev: Or have to connect to servers or whatever, like Zendless on Zero has a 2.0 update. I haven’t played that. Marvel Snap, (0:03:55) Kev: I don’t get that many games in this week. My phone’s dying, so it can’t– for whatever reason Snap just crashes on it now. (0:04:01) Kev: So I have to pretty much play on PC these days. (0:04:05) Kev: But Unite is gone, so on and so forth. (0:04:09) Kev: The one game I have been playing though (0:04:12) Kev: Unicorn Overlord, are you familiar with that, Al? (0:04:14) Al: I am. I’m a photo. (0:04:16) Kev: Okay, oh man, it’s… (0:04:20) Kev: So I picked it up on sale, it was like 30 USD, which is pretty cheap for a game of this size. (0:04:24) Kev: Um, it’s for people unfamiliar, it’s a strategy, real-time game. (0:04:32) Kev: I like Fire Emblem, but real-time. (0:04:34) Kev: And Good Heavens, this game does all the things I like in that game. (0:04:40) Kev: Um, okay. (0:04:42) Kev: So, have you ever played a Fire Emblem, Al? (0:04:44) Al: No. (0:04:44) Kev: Okay, but I assume you’re familiar with the concept of super-trust, right? (0:04:47) Al: Yeah. (0:04:48) Al: Yeah. (0:04:48) Kev: Yeah, okay. So, like I said, that’s correct. (0:04:51) Al: They’ve all got swords, that’s what I’m aware of. (0:04:54) Kev: And Unicorn Overlord also has swords. (0:04:56) Kev: Actually, Unicorn Overlord has a lot of Fire Emblem stuff. (0:05:00) Kev: It’s very much like an homage/love letter to a lot of strategy games, Fire Emblem included. (0:05:06) Kev: So, it has a lot of the elements borrowed from that. (0:05:10) Kev: that are like likely it feels (0:05:12) Kev: less like trying to knock them off and more become the wash / love letter anyway (0:05:19) Kev: so unlike Fire Emblem which is grid based this is not grid based it’s real (0:05:24) Kev: time you just send your units point A to point B and they’ll travel as close to (0:05:29) Kev: straight line as they can also they in Fire Emblem each character is a single (0:05:36) Kev: unit in this game you assemble teams of up to five characters in one unit with (0:05:42) Kev: front row and a back row so all of a sudden the complexity is through the (0:05:46) Kev: roof and it’s really enjoyable in my opinion right you got tanks in front (0:05:50) Kev: archers in the back so on and so forth and each character you can load them out (0:05:58) Kev: with different equipment skills and stuff and Fire Emblem is like every (0:06:02) Kev: character gets like two or three items that do almost just that’s basically but (0:06:07) Kev: in this one you can you can change their move sets so there’s (0:06:12) Kev: it like layers and layers and layers of complexity which is (0:06:15) Kev: really, really good. Yeah, I really, really like this game. (0:06:20) Kev: I’m at 60 hours so far. Yeah, good. No internet. So just (0:06:26) Kev: crushing it. But it is. It’s the arts really nice. Very, very (0:06:31) Kev: pretty. But but oh, great, great stuff. Um, yeah, that’s that’s (0:06:38) Kev: kind of the big thing I’ve been up to. (0:06:42) Kev: All right, Al, what about you? (0:06:44) Kev: Tell me– tell the poor pleb about the switch, too. (0:06:46) Al: The Switch 2, what? What are you talking about? Yes, yes, I’ve got the Switch 2 and I’ve been (0:06:52) Al: playing Mario Kart World. I haven’t had a huge amount of time on it yet. As we are talking, (0:06:58) Al: I have been… I was away. I was not at home when the Switch 2 came out on Thursday, and (0:07:06) Al: it was delivered to my home. I didn’t get back till Saturday evening, and so that’s (0:07:11) Al: about 24 hours ago as of now. So, yeah, I’ve not had a huge amount of time. (0:07:16) Al: Especially as obviously I had to set it up, and you know, I have kids and a life, and (0:07:20) Al: I can’t just always play the game. But I have put in a couple hours into it, both myself (0:07:27) Al: and me and my son playing it together, and it’s fun. I enjoy it. What I will say is that (0:07:35) Al: I love a lot of the… It’s a lot more reactive in terms of like, your character does a lot (0:07:44) Al: more while playing, which makes it feel (0:07:46) Al: a lot more real, right? Like there are more reactions to things. And, uh, so it’s really (0:07:54) Al: hard to explain, but there’s just lots of little things that they do that make it feel real. Um, (0:08:00) Al: the animations are all more detailed. Uh, when you, when you hit a car, you don’t now just like (0:08:07) Al: stop in the same way that you do when hit by, uh, uh, you know, a weapon you like get knocked to (0:08:15) Al: the side and you can actually (0:08:17) Al: there was one today where I was like hit it in such a way that I actually just ended up going up on two wheels (0:08:24) Al: and continuing to move. (0:08:26) Kev: What? (0:08:28) Al: Yeah, exactly. So there’s just lots of little things like that. (0:08:30) Al: It’s you don’t, whereas in Mario Kart 8, if you hit a vehicle, no matter how you hit it, (0:08:37) Al: you would just, you would just stop. (0:08:37) Kev: You do the somersault, you know, or whatever, yeah, uh-huh, yeah. (0:08:38) Al: Yeah, exactly. You’d just do the standard. (0:08:40) Al: I’ve been hit by something I have now stopped, whereas that’s not necessary. (0:08:44) Al: If you hit it, like, straight on, you will slow down. (0:08:46) Al: And, you know, spin off to the side. (0:08:49) Al: But if you hit it in certain ways, you can actually just keep going. (0:08:52) Al: It just depends on exactly how you hit it, which makes it a lot more fun, I think. (0:08:59) Al: And, you know, different weapons do different things depending (0:09:03) Al: on where they hit you and how they hit you and stuff like that. (0:09:06) Al: Which it is, it is, it’s really interesting. (0:09:06) Kev: Really, that’s fascinating. (0:09:10) Al: And it just, yeah, just the animations, like, you feel like the character moves (0:09:16) Al: the vehicle. It doesn’t just feel like you are one car, one model, stuff like that. (0:09:20) Kev: Wow, that’s the power of the Switch 2. (0:09:26) Al: Or is it the power of, like, 10 years of developing the next Mario Kart game? (0:09:31) Kev: No, no, this wasn’t possible on the Switch 1. (0:09:34) Kev: Impossible, absolutely. (0:09:38) Al: And I also like how, so one of the things about this game is obviously you’re just choosing (0:09:44) Al: a car rather than like choosing the body. (0:09:46) Al: The wheels and what’s it called, parachute. (0:09:49) Kev: Right. (0:09:53) Al: I quite like that because there’s less for you to have to think about. (0:09:57) Al: But what I do like is that each of the carts looks slightly different depending on the character. (0:10:04) Kev: Wow, that’s impressive. (0:10:06) Al: It’s not just like the base cart, the Mario cart, that if you’re Mario it’s red with the M on it. (0:10:10) Al: If you’re Luigi it’s green with the L on it. (0:10:14) Al: if you’re the cow, it’s grey with the cow. (0:10:16) Al: They put a lot of attention to detail in this game, a lot of effort. (0:10:18) Kev: - That’s all. (0:10:28) Kev: Wow, that’s impressive genuinely, like wow, that’s attention to detail. (0:10:38) Al: It’s really fun. Some things are going to take some getting used to like the controls are (0:10:44) Al: are obviously slightly different. (0:10:46) Al: The thing that’s knocking me off a lot is in eight and before, if you wanted to hold (0:10:54) Al: like a shell or banana behind you, you would have to hold down the fire button. Whereas now (0:10:58) Kev: Mm-hmm. Yeah. (0:11:02) Al: that happens by default. So as soon as you have it in the priority slot, it is behind you. (0:11:06) Kev: Okay, huh, I think. Okay. Sure, sure. I feel like at least one (0:11:09) Al: And then if you press it and hold it, it will just fire it. So I have spent a lot of time (0:11:17) Al: things because I was trying to have them behind me. But that’s just how you get used to it. (0:11:21) Al: And eventually you’ll stop doing that. But yeah. (0:11:25) Kev: other Mario Kart did that. But it’s not as common at the very (0:11:30) Al: possibly. Well, that’s the thing. Like, do I remember how things before 8 actually worked? (0:11:30) Kev: least, or regardless, it’s been what 10 years with our hard part (0:11:34) Kev: eight. (0:11:36) Kev: That’s how - that’s how video game historians - yeah, yeah. Now that’s fair. That’s how (0:11:39) Al: No, I do not. I’m not an idea. I don’t go back and play old Mario Kart all the time, right? (0:11:46) Al: That’s not my life. (0:11:50) Kev: video game historians chronicle things in the BMK8 era or the AMK8 era. But that’s (0:12:00) Kev: good stuff. Okay, how does - how does the free driving world… (0:12:04) Al: I haven’t done any of that yet. I’ve just been playing Grand Prix. I will say… (0:12:08) Kev: Mmm. Well, I mean, but you - you have between the phrases now, right? Like, that’s - you feel a (0:12:14) Al: So yeah, so I think no, is how I’ll say it. It is not like what I think Free Run will be at all. (0:12:15) Kev: taste of it. (0:12:26) Al: You’re not really driving between the courses. How it is, is yes you are driving, like you start (0:12:32) Al: Start on the finish line of the previous course. (0:12:35) Al: And then the first lap is to the starting line of the next course. (0:12:42) Al: And then this, and then you’ve got the second and third laps are on the course. (0:12:46) Al: It depends on what course it is. (0:12:47) Al: Like some of them are shorter, like baby park, and you actually have like then (0:12:51) Al: multiple laps around it, or a lot of them aren’t just like a single loop that you (0:12:56) Al: do a certain number of times. (0:12:57) Al: A lot of them are like the ones where you, you just have one long course that (0:13:01) Al: you do different sections of. (0:13:03) Al: It just depends on what it is. (0:13:05) Al: I am, I don’t really like it. (0:13:09) Al: I personally would just prefer the standard you’ve got your three courses (0:13:13) Al: and you do your three laps or however many laps. (0:13:16) Kev: » Sure, sure. (0:13:16) Al: Um, the driving between it just feels kind of tacked on and it almost feels (0:13:22) Al: like they wanted the open world thing. (0:13:24) Al: And sure, fine. (0:13:25) Al: I don’t, I I’ve not tried it yet, but I, I can imagine it’d be interesting. (0:13:30) Al: Um, but the all you must drive between the courses, the bit that is (0:13:35) Al: between the courses feels pretty either feels pretty generic and boring, or just (0:13:40) Al: feels like the previous course that you just finished and you’re like, I don’t (0:13:44) Al: understand why I’m still doing this course when I’m on the next course. (0:13:49) Al: And it doesn’t, the other, the other thing that I found a bit weird was it (0:13:52) Al: doesn’t start straight away. (0:13:55) Al: Like once you hit the finish line, you go into like, Oh, here’s the rankings. (0:13:59) Al: And then you have to start it again. (0:14:01) Al: And then because you’re starting again, you’re starting on the finish (0:14:04) Al: and it just feels like that’s a weird jarring thing. (0:14:08) Al: It’s like, Oh, you finished that race. (0:14:10) Al: Now let’s start the next race on this point. (0:14:13) Al: Like where you just finished, like it just, it feels like an idea that someone (0:14:17) Al: had, and then they went, yeah, let’s do that. (0:14:20) Al: But they never really did anything with it. (0:14:22) Al: And it almost would have felt more realistic or more interesting. (0:14:28) Al: If it just, the race hadn’t stopped at any point, or maybe if it, if you have. (0:14:35) Al: You have to wait for everyone else to get there, like, if you just like stayed in (0:14:40) Al: position at that point, and waited for everyone to catch up, but the fact that (0:14:41) Kev: Yeah, in that way, kind of– (0:14:46) Al: it goes like, Oh, now we’re going to like cut to this other screen, like they do in (0:14:50) Al: previous Mario carts, where you show the rankings, it almost defeats the purpose (0:14:54) Al: of then, then driving between the two courses. (0:14:57) Kev: Yeah, that’s so weird to me because, yeah, that doesn’t from the way it was described, like, that would have been, you know, what I would have thought, right? Like, you there, you know, you hit the finish line and then you just keep driving and maybe ranking is on the side or something. (0:14:57) Al: It’s like, well, what happened, what happened in that time? (0:15:00) Al: Because now I’m back on the finish line. (0:15:16) Al: 100% why I expected. And I guess the reason they don’t do that is they want everyone to catch up (0:15:19) Kev: That’s wild. (0:15:21) Al: so that you’re all starting at the same time for the next race. Sure, fine. But I feel like you (0:15:25) Kev: But, okay. (0:15:27) Kev: Yeah, but what’s the point? Like, that’s baffling to me. (0:15:28) Al: could have done that transition better, right? I don’t– I understand why they want something (0:15:34) Kev: Um… (0:15:37) Al: like this. It feels like it’s another mode, and I feel like they should have kept Grand Prix (0:15:41) Kev: Mm-hmm. (0:15:44) Al: as it was. And then this was like (0:15:45) Kev: Yeah. (0:15:47) Al: a new type of tour. A grand tour instead of a grand prix. I’m not saying this is bad, (0:15:48) Kev: Yeah, that’s what they should have done. Absolutely. Yeah, exactly. There you go. (0:15:56) Al: I’m saying I don’t like that this is instead of what we had before. (0:16:00) Kev: Right, right. I get that. Yeah, from what you’re describing, it doesn’t… (0:16:05) Kev: Yeah, it sounds like they fumbled that execution just a little bit. (0:16:09) Kev: And if you’re not here completely removing the standard Grand Prix for that, like, that’s a problem. That’s rough. (0:16:14) Al: Exactly. (0:16:16) Al: Exactly. (0:16:17) Al: Exactly. (0:16:17) Kev: Well, we’ll see. Like, I mean, I… I mean, I personally think we’re going to get DLCs that are just going to be standard Grand Prix-type modes. (0:16:19) Al: We will see. (0:16:30) Al: Interesting. I can’t see them not doing DLC for this. For two reasons, one, they did two sets of DLC for the previous game, and two… (0:16:31) Kev: Because… (0:16:35) Kev: Right, exactly, right? (0:16:40) Kev: Mm-hmm. And DLC for the remastered version of the game, that DLC. Yeah. (0:16:46) Al: Well, yeah, that was the second one. But anyway, secondly, it doesn’t feel like there’s enough races, because you have, like, eight. (0:16:56) Al: And it doesn’t feel like (0:17:00) Al: enough to me. I’m not regretting buying the game, especially because I got it in (0:17:01) Kev: Not anymore (0:17:05) Kev: Yeah (0:17:06) Al: the bundle, right? But I totally get why people are like, Oh, that feels like a lot (0:17:10) Al: of money for eight, eight grand prix. Especially when like, the preview, like, I don’t, I’m (0:17:18) Al: not expecting it necessarily will be free DLC. And obviously people complain about that, (0:17:23) Al: right? They’re like, Oh, you’re charging us $80 and then you’re also charging us more (0:17:24) Kev: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Sure. Yeah, yeah, that’s what I suspect too. (0:17:27) Al: courses. But I can (0:17:30) Al: see the DLC being reasonably cheap, and it’s just like $10 or whatever, right? (0:17:36) Al: But it just, yeah, eight just feels, eight isn’t even as many as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had. Eight (0:17:42) Al: Deluxe had 10. And so eight had eight, of course. Mario Kart 8 had eight courses, and then they (0:17:44) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:17:48) Kev: Yeah (0:17:51) Al: added on eight grumpries, sorry, and then they added on two, I think, for DLC initially. And then that (0:17:56) Kev: - DLC, that’s correct. (0:17:57) Kev: - Yeah. (0:17:57) Al: That was all bundled together as Mario Kart 8 delivered. (0:18:00) Al: So Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had 10 and then they doubled in the other DLC, yeah. (0:18:00) Kev: - And then they doubled the number. (0:18:05) Al: So it just feels a little bit meh that we’re not even, we’ve not even got as many races as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. (0:18:12) Kev: Yeah. Yeah, that’s fair, right? Like it’s, I think the pain point is just this, the way you’ve described how they fumbled their new Grand Prix version, right? Because like I could, I could live with eight cups or whatever, if it was the standard Grand Prix that, you know, you could just do ad nauseam like, you know, other Mario karts and it’d be fine. (0:18:12) Al: And then this is more expensive. (0:18:15) Al: None of that, none of that feels good. (0:18:43) Kev: But if you’re replacing that and given something that feels a little worse or a little awkward, yeah, it’s going to be rough. (0:18:51) Al: And let me get and let me point out the courses are really good. (0:18:55) Kev: Sure. Yeah. Are there any, any new ones you’re fond of that you’ve seen so far? (0:18:57) Al: And like. (0:19:02) Al: The the one I particularly like, obviously, I’ve not done them all. (0:19:06) Al: And I’ve not done them all yet, but the one that I’m particularly (0:19:10) Al: enjoying is the Donkey Kong one, I can’t remember what it’s called. (0:19:12) Kev: hmm is uh I don’t know which one because there’s obviously been a handful or if it’s a new one but uh okay (0:19:18) Al: Yeah, let me check. (0:19:20) Al: I think it’s a new one. (0:19:21) Al: And that I think is really fun. (0:19:25) Kev: oh yeah they saw they showed that one in the trailer first yeah that one looked cool (0:19:32) Al: You’re essentially it’s one of the ones that’s not like laps. (0:19:35) Al: It’s one specific course and you end at the end. (0:19:39) Al: And what I really like it is you’re essentially going through a Donkey Kong level, right? (0:19:44) Al: Like you’re going up this course and then at the end at the top is a robotic Donkey (0:19:46) Kev: Really? That’s cool. (0:19:51) Al: Kong, throwing barrels down at you. (0:19:53) Kev: Oh, that’s so cool. (0:19:55) Al: So I really like that and there’s like lots of stuff to avoid and there’s bouncy pads (0:20:01) Al: and stuff like that. (0:20:03) Kev: That’s so cool (0:20:06) Kev: And I can’t wait to check that out (0:20:08) Kev: But I mean, obviously we’re nitpicking but still Mario Kart, right? Like it’s still the overall good (0:20:12) Al: Yeah, I don’t regret it. I obviously want the bundle, but if I paid full price for this, (0:20:18) Al: I still wouldn’t be regretting it. It is still really good fun and it’s still going to sell (0:20:20) Kev: Yeah, yeah. Oh, absolutely. And cow is playable. Yep. Wait, really? That’s hilarious. That’s incredible. (0:20:22) Al: like bonkers. But yeah, I mean, and Caro is one of the best characters to actually play (0:20:30) Al: as. It’s one of the meta characters. It is, yeah. So yeah, I’m enjoying it. I get why (0:20:37) Kev: Oh. Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure. Mm-hmm. Well, that’ll be– that’s awesome. (0:20:42) Al: people might be frustrated with it and I haven’t tried everything in it yet, so I guess (0:20:47) Al: we’ll see. (0:20:50) Kev: Can’t wait to hear more people. I haven’t heard much about it, (0:20:54) Kev: but I’m obviously interested in the free roam mode or whatever. But good stuff. (0:21:04) Kev: How was vacation world not– how was touching grass? (0:21:07) Al: Yeah, I wasn’t really on holiday. I was still working. In fact, I was working more than (0:21:12) Kev: Oh, were you? (0:21:13) Al: I normally do. I was just doing it in a different place. But I didn’t have my kids, so it was (0:21:15) Kev: Oh, that was me this week, too. (0:21:21) Al: relaxing in some way. No, I had fun. It was a little bit frustrating on the Thursday at (0:21:21) Kev: Mm-hmm. (0:21:27) Al: the end to be like, “Everyone’s getting their Switch too, and mine’s at home. I just can’t (0:21:30) Al: get it.” But it was only two days. It was only two days, yeah. But it wasn’t even (0:21:30) Kev: mmm your squid word and patrick and sponger outside (0:21:37) Al: like it feels worse than the people who just weren’t getting it, I feel, right? Because (0:21:42) Kev: yeah yeah yeah yeah (0:21:42) Al: you’re like, “Oh yeah, that’s annoying, and I don’t have it, and I feel like I’m missing (0:21:46) Al: out.” But I was like, “I have paid money, and I have had one delivered to me. It’s just (0:21:51) Kev: I shouldn’t be missing out (0:21:52) Al: I am not where it is.” (0:21:55) Kev: oh there yeah I can see that that’s funny yeah obviously I haven’t gotten my (0:22:00) Kev: i’ll probably have or well not mine i’m getting one for calvin next week is a little late birthday (0:22:05) Kev: present um so i’ll be able to join the ranks of people driving his cow and talking about it (0:22:16) Kev: 24 racers that’s insane (0:22:16) Al: um it is and it does it does mean that you like especially the there’s a lot of kind of I think (0:22:24) Al: they might need to do some rebalancing in terms of how things work especially like the rubber (0:22:28) Al: banding and stuff like that because like if you don’t if you if you don’t get up to first place (0:22:30) Kev: Oh, yeah (0:22:33) Al: quickly you’re probably not going to stay there uh um the the middle just feels absolutely insane (0:22:36) Kev: Oh, that’s good. Oh, that’s good stuff. I (0:22:41) Al: just now. So, yeah. (0:22:43) Kev: Can’t you know back in back in the old days there are eight racers (0:22:55) Kev: It’s crazy to think like there are some chunks with that many characters (0:22:59) Al: You have to have two whole pages to view everyone. (0:23:00) Kev: in a race (0:23:03) Kev: The rankings, oh my goodness. Oh, that’s incredible. Oh (0:23:10) Kev: Good time (0:23:12) Al: The other thing I’ve tried out on my Switch 2 is Pokemon Violet, and let me tell you, (0:23:18) Al: obviously if you didn’t like the game before, you’re not going to like the game suddenly (0:23:20) Kev: Right, it doesn’t fix a lot of the core design issues, but yeah. (0:23:21) Al: now that it’s running at a decent speed. (0:23:24) Al: Exactly, it’s still the same game, but my word is incredible. (0:23:29) Al: If you like the game, it is an incredible upgrade, just so good. (0:23:36) Kev: - Mm-hmm, but yeah, yeah, I’ll sit. (0:23:41) Al: It drives me insane whenever I see anyone talking about this and people will reply and (0:23:45) Al: be like, “Oh, it’s $500 to get the game how it should have been.” (0:23:49) Al: I don’t shut up. (0:23:50) Al: I don’t care. (0:23:51) Al: It doesn’t matter. (0:23:52) Al: Yeah, you don’t like it. (0:23:53) Al: Don’t play it. (0:23:54) Al: Don’t buy this. (0:23:55) Al: Shut up, right? (0:23:56) Al: Let me enjoy the fact that this game now runs incredibly. (0:23:59) Al: And you know what I’m most excited for with this is how well I think the new game’s going (0:24:05) Al: to run. (0:24:06) Al: Because there’s no way it will run worse than this, right? (0:24:10) Kev: Well, well. (0:24:10) Al: Because well, no, no, no, let me, let me, let me. (0:24:13) Al: So my point is, right, like it is a clearly a much more small and focused world, right? (0:24:19) Al: And one of the big issues of this game was the fact that the world is like all loaded (0:24:23) Al: at once. (0:24:24) Kev: Oh, oh you’re talking about ZA. I thought you meant yeah. Okay. Oh no. Yeah. Yes (0:24:25) Al: Yeah, yeah. Oh, no, I’m not even thinking about that. (0:24:29) Al: just now. Not even thinking about that just now. (0:24:30) Kev: Yeah, ZA is gonna be great. Yeah. Sure sure sure. Yeah, that’s fine (0:24:34) Al: And so if this game runs this well, like surely that game will run just as well. And (0:24:40) Al: it’s going to be so good. And I think it looks, it looks better, right? Like a lot of the (0:24:45) Al: thing about this game is that it just looks bland and meh. And yeah, the character models (0:24:46) Kev: Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely. (0:24:51) Al: don’t look amazing in the new game, but I don’t really care about that, right? Like everything (0:24:55) Al: else in my opinion looks a lot nicer, kind of like the, you know, the (0:24:59) Al: bright colours in the night. I think the night time in particular is going to look really good in that game, especially on (0:25:04) Kev: I agree. Yeah, that is nice, right? Because, like, okay, obviously, we all know I’m unknown, (0:25:12) Kev: Scarlet Violet, Disparage or Dissenter, whatever you want to call it, right? I’m critical. (0:25:16) Al: For fair reasons, I’ve like, I’ve not, I’ve never, I’ve never said that your reasons are not the totally fair reasons. (0:25:18) Kev: Just a little bit critical. Like you said, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, like, you know, there’s a lot of design choices. (0:25:30) Kev: Design Choices. (0:25:32) Kev: I don’t like other people who I like. (0:25:34) Kev: It’s not fixing those issues, but like I think just how poorly it ran. (0:25:44) Kev: You know that like I’m an Nintendo fan. (0:25:46) Kev: I’m a Pokemon fan. (0:25:48) Kev: I don’t care about technical stuff, generally speaking, right? (0:25:52) Kev: But like it was just so bad that even even someone like me, it felt embarrassing. (0:25:58) Kev: Like it was rough. (0:26:00) Kev: So it’s nice to have at least that improved. (0:26:01) Al: No one, no one defends it. Right? Like with, with other, with other games, like Legends, (0:26:08) Al: like some of us are like, actually, I like how it looks, right? Like I, you know, I don’t, (0:26:10) Kev: Yeah (0:26:12) Al: I think that a lot of that is down to taste, but with, with the performance issues in this (0:26:14) Kev: Sure (0:26:17) Al: game, it was just embarrassing. Nobody justified it. And if anybody even tried to, you’d be (0:26:19) Kev: It would nope, yeah, yeah (0:26:22) Al: like, come on, like let’s be real here. You can like the game and still admit how terrible (0:26:28) Al: the performances. Whereas now, it’s just… (0:26:29) Kev: Yep (0:26:33) Kev: Yeah, it’s crazy I’ve seen clips online it’s wild the difference (0:26:38) Kev: I genuinely did. (0:26:42) Kev: I did not think it would upgrade that much. (0:26:44) Al: Yeah. And that’s handheld as well, not even docked. In handheld, it feels incredible. (0:26:47) Kev: That’s crazy. (0:26:52) Kev: Important question. (0:26:55) Kev: Have you tried the raids? (0:26:57) Kev: Because that was the… (0:26:57) Al: I have not. Yeah, I’m not convinced it’s going to make a massive difference to raids, because (0:26:59) Kev: Okay, ‘cause that’s… (0:27:00) Kev: I mean, it’s great the world runs right now, (0:27:02) Kev: but the raids, like… (0:27:05) Kev: Oh. (0:27:08) Al: I think a lot of the issue with raids was the internet communication. But I don’t tend (0:27:12) Kev: Yeah, probably, but I was curious it’s like (0:27:17) Al: to do raids a huge amount. I do them when there’s a seven star out, if possible. If (0:27:20) Kev: Yeah (0:27:21) Al: possible I do them as a solo build, so I don’t have to deal with other people. (0:27:23) Kev: Mm-hmm, I yeah. No, that’s fair (0:27:28) Kev: But yeah, that’s uh (0:27:30) Kev: Because if raids were good like I genuinely might be tempted (0:27:35) Kev: Consider another playthrough to give it a second chance on switch do but anyways, not that I’ll have one for a while, but (0:27:42) Al: Well, we’ll see, we’ll see. (0:27:42) Kev: Anyways, that’s good stuff (0:27:46) Kev: that (0:27:47) Kev: that’s nice and (0:27:49) Kev: Yeah, good on you Pokemon team for putting the effort to make that happen (0:27:54) Al: Yeah, I clearly, like, I wonder whether they’d been working on this before the game came (0:28:00) Al: out or whether this is in reaction to the game coming out and being terrible. Because (0:28:04) Kev: Yeah. (0:28:05) Al: they did tell us, like, oh, we hear you and we understand. And the question is, was that (0:28:11) Al: the point where they go, oh, we can’t just, like, let this go. Like, this is something (0:28:16) Al: we actually need to deal with. And then, obviously, they’ve gone, like, decision made. Do we try (0:28:21) Al: Try it our best to make it work as well on the switch, or do we just… (0:28:24) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:28:24) Al: take all of the nonsense that we’re going to get for the next two and a half years, (0:28:28) Al: and then throw it all on the switch too, and hope that we gain back the positives for that. (0:28:35) Al: I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case, right? That is a decent… That timeline works, (0:28:38) Kev: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. (0:28:43) Al: that’s more than two years. I could absolutely see that they hadn’t even considered this (0:28:45) Kev: Mm hmm. (0:28:48) Al: until the reception was so bad, and then they’ve gone, “You know what? We do need to deal with (0:28:52) Kev: Yeah, also (0:28:52) Al: this and they had a small team dealing (0:28:54) Al: with that for the last couple of years. (0:28:56) Kev: Sure, I’ll I’ll you know, I’ll say that they probably (0:29:02) Kev: Whenever they found out switch to upgrades we’re gonna have which I imagined was relatively early, you know, I (0:29:08) Kev: Imagine they were planning one for scarlet violent (0:29:10) Kev: I don’t see a version where they weren’t gonna do that (0:29:12) Kev: What I don’t think is I don’t think they were gonna put in the effort they did for this because that I think was reactionary (0:29:20) Kev: Because I think they wanted to (0:29:22) Kev: You know try to clean up their act if you know if it had come out (0:29:27) Kev: Not as good or you know if the original game might come out better (0:29:32) Kev: I don’t think it would have been this huge of a jump because they probably just (0:29:32) Al: Well, yeah, yeah. I mean, because it wouldn’t be better. I don’t know. Yeah. I do feel like (0:29:37) Kev: You know, then yeah. Well, yeah. Well, that’s true, but they wouldn’t put the effort, you know what I mean (0:29:43) Al: I do think a lot of this is like, we need to make sure people actually buy our next (0:29:47) Al: game. Let’s show them that we can actually make a good game or a smooth enough. Okay. (0:29:47) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:29:52) Kev: Yeah (0:29:53) Al: A well performing game. And, and I think that’s probably has done a lot to improve people’s (0:29:59) Kev: Yeah (0:30:00) Al: view on things, right? (0:30:02) Kev: Yeah (0:30:02) Al: People who were, you were probably worried about the next game, right? (0:30:05) Kev: Yeah, well hey, you know like I make all the jokes about you know, we could the you know, then Gen 10 could fail (0:30:12) Kev: or you know or whatever, you know, but (0:30:15) Kev: But maybe this is actually a sign that they’re actually trying to (0:30:19) Kev: They’re gonna try to double down or you know (0:30:23) Kev: put in the effort to make sure it really comes out. (0:30:25) Kev: Um yeah but okay good stuff that’s that’s really nice to know the power of the switch too. (0:30:33) Al: it’s good fun. All right, we have one piece of news I want to talk about before we just (0:30:40) Al: go through the wholesome direct stuff that we want to talk about. Snacko, Snacko decided (0:30:42) Kev: All right, what is it? (0:30:43) Kev: What is it? (0:30:46) Kev: That’s the cat game. (0:30:46) Al: that just after we released our last episode two weeks ago, they decided they were going (0:30:54) Al: going to release their 1.0, just shadow drop it. (0:30:56) Kev: That’s correct. That’s how this works in this gig, podcast world. Things happen as soon as (0:31:07) Kev: you take a break. That’s good. (0:31:08) Al: And I’m not even joking. This was a legitimate shadow drop. Like I saw the Steam news about (0:31:16) Al: Snacko 1.0 and I’m like, hold up, wait a minute. Did I miss something? And then I looked through (0:31:19) Kev: Tempting you. (0:31:21) Al: everything and nope, I did not miss anything. This was just surprise. Here you go. Here’s (0:31:27) Al: the new, here’s 1.0. So there we go. Snacko 1.0. It’s probably finally time for me to (0:31:35) Kev: Probably. I’m just looking at it, it looks nice. Yeah, that’s a, they’re little like pixely, (0:31:45) Kev: 2D, 3D thing, it looks nice, and the cat’s very cute. Yeah, good for you, Snaggo. You made it to (0:31:52) Kev: 1.0, like, that’s always a genuine cause for celebration, assuming it’s a real 1.0, (0:31:58) Kev: and not one of those 1.0s, yeah, it’s kind of 1.0, but not really, because we still have a whole (0:32:02) Kev: a whole bunch of other stuff that didn’t make it in yet. (0:32:04) Al: Yeah, I think they’ve got more updates coming, but it feels like it looks like it’s extra stuff. (0:32:09) Al: But having said that, I haven’t played through it, so I don’t know. (0:32:11) Kev: Yeah. (0:32:12) Kev: Sure, sure, yeah, yeah, I know. (0:32:14) Kev: But I’m just saying, we all know those games out there (0:32:17) Kev: that at 1.0 really should not have been at 1.0. (0:32:18) Al: Yep. Yep, yep, yep, yep, we do, we do. (0:32:23) Kev: But– but– yeah. (0:32:24) Al: It doesn’t feel, from what I know about the game and the developers, (0:32:28) Al: it doesn’t feel like something they would do. (0:32:30) Al: I don’t feel like they would just go, “Here we go.” (0:32:30) Kev: Yeah, from what– yeah, like, I also agree. (0:32:34) Kev: - Yeah, I agree. (0:32:35) Kev: Very cute game, always has been cute, still cute. (0:32:40) Kev: I might be interested in, oh, there’s a demo. (0:32:42) Kev: I might, I’ll download that demo at the very least. (0:32:44) Kev: Good for you, Snacko. (0:32:46) Al: All right, let’s talk about the Wholesome Direct then. (0:32:49) Kev: Okay, okay. (0:32:51) Kev: Before we get into, because obviously we got our list, (0:32:54) Kev: I want to comment on the presentation, (0:32:56) Kev: ‘cause man, an hour straight of wholesome and cozy, (0:33:03) Kev: Oh, it’s a little it’s. (0:33:05) Kev: A little much and you know, obviously that’s the nature of the beast, but you know, I’m just look, I don’t know how big wholesome games their operation is right and and and they’re they’re trying right like they highlight so many streamers or you know, content creators or whatever and oh good for you, you know, little spotlight on these guys, but you know, maybe, maybe just just put a little more into that, right? (0:33:06) Al: - Yeah. (0:33:32) Kev: Every, I can’t just, I’m not. (0:33:35) Kev: I’m not blaming any one streamer because they, but they all just happened to have the same, you know, just palette color palette swap backgrounds of a shelf with plushies and some plants. (0:33:46) Al: Yeah, yeah, I definitely found that as well. The other thing that I found was like everybody (0:33:50) Al: talks in this calm voice. Yeah, exactly. It’s like cosy games, right? First of all, it’s (0:33:54) Kev: - ASMR? (0:33:55) Kev: - Yup. (0:34:00) Al: not cosy games. It’s wholesome direct, right? The whole point was it’s like we want a place (0:34:03) Kev: - Yeah, huh? (0:34:05) Al: to show a bunch of games that are not just shooting zombies, right? And that is a totally (0:34:10) Kev: Yeah, yeah. (0:34:11) Al: fair thing and that’s why I like it and it doesn’t that doesn’t (0:34:14) Kev: Yeah. (0:34:16) Al: have to mean calm and quiet and trying to send you to sleep which is I definitely felt like it was I don’t know whether it’s always been like this and I’m just getting annoyed with it or whether it’s getting more like this but yeah I was absolutely the same every streamer was the exact same voice and background and I also think that there was a little bit weird and like having a different streamer to introduce every single game felt a bit weird (0:34:33) Kev: » Yeah. (0:34:46) Al: in the every time there was a streamer on they were like here’s my name here’s my channel here’s what I do and it was all the same as well it’s like oh we do everything cozy and you’re like oh my word like yes you are just the exact same as all the other ones we’ve just seen like I don’t it was yeah I agree I’m glad you felt the same because it was just too much for me (0:34:52) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. And again, and yeah, and again, I’m not blaming any individual (0:35:09) Kev: streamer because I’m sure they got their prompt and they do their thing and that’s why. But (0:35:13) Kev: when, you know, the wholesome gang people, when they were putting, cutting, pasting all (0:35:16) Kev: this together, somebody should have said, you know what, this might be a little much. (0:35:20) Al: You get, it’s the same, it’s the same with everything, right? Like it’s when, when you (0:35:23) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. (0:35:24) Al: watch a Nintendo direct and you have the two hosts who make the same terrible jokes after (0:35:30) Al: every single game, you get annoyed about that. And when you have the Xbox showcase and like (0:35:35) Al: half of them are shooting zombies in the face, it’s the same thing again. It’s just like, (0:35:38) Kev: - Mm-hmm. (0:35:39) Al: why are all these games the same? And, and why is the presentation so long? And so like, (0:35:46) Al: I think maybe we need to spread these things out a little bit more in the year, right? Like (0:35:51) Al: June, for releasing game information, do we really need to? (0:35:55) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:35:59) Kev: Yeah, I agree or or you know what I’m trying to look up a year (0:36:06) Al: It’s 2025. (0:36:08) Kev: Yeah, not our year I’m I’m trying to look to the the highest (0:36:13) Kev: The high bar of video game presentations at 2014. That’s what it was the Nintendo (0:36:20) Kev: 2014 e3 presentation. That’s the one where we had a (0:36:25) Kev: and Reggie fighting (0:36:27) Kev: With their DBZ fight with the amiibo humor that that one (0:36:27) Al: Mm hmm. Yeah. (0:36:32) Kev: Obviously not every company is gonna be able to produce goofy bits like that or whatever (0:36:36) Kev: But you know that the point is they tried right? They they put a little a little effort into the presentation (0:36:44) Kev: And so, you know, it’d be nice right? What’s crazy to me is some of these bits were like the streamers introducing game (0:36:49) Kev: Didn’t even mention the game (0:36:51) Kev: They just said he was a world premiere (0:36:52) Al: yeah yeah well there is that I i don’t know I also think like the live ones are really (0:36:55) Kev: But anyways, I digress (0:36:59) Al: annoying as well right did you watch the friday’s summer game fest it was just really it was really (0:37:01) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:37:03) Kev: No, I haven’t watched any other I’ve just seen the the bids oh (0:37:08) Al: awkward I didn’t like it and like there’s something about jeff keeley that like i’m not saying he (0:37:10) Kev: Yeah (0:37:14) Al: doesn’t like games i’m sure he does i’m sure he does like games but the way he presents himself (0:37:20) Al: is corporate students. (0:37:21) Kev: Uh-huh, yep, that’s correct. (0:37:22) Al: And I can’t take him seriously and it’s like when there was a point where he was like oh (0:37:29) Al: something some game was shown and he was like wow looks great and he moved on to the next thing (0:37:34) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. I think that’s kind of underlying the point, right? You want to get somebody (0:37:35) Al: and I’m like you did not sound sincere there, what are you on about? (0:37:43) Kev: who’s sincere about the presentation or whatever is being presented, right? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. (0:37:46) Al: Which Reggie did well. That was his thing. Like, he was a corporate guy and we all knew that, (0:37:52) Al: and we all knew that he would probably sell us if he could. But you also got that he cared, (0:37:55) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right. (0:37:58) Al: and I don’t know whether that was real or not, but you definitely believed that he cared. (0:38:04) Kev: I mean, I think he cared, but maybe that’s just part of the whole thing he did. I don’t (0:38:09) Kev: know, but he, like the important thing is he made us believe he cared, right? He could (0:38:13) Kev: talk about his games. Like it sounded like someone who played the game or knew of the (0:38:17) Kev: game to whatever degree. And yeah, you’re right. Like that’s what we need. We just need (0:38:23) Kev: people who know, who care, who are sincere. Like they’ll, even if it’s, you know, just (0:38:29) Kev: some of a blurb, you can feel that, right? So the point to one. (0:38:34) Kev: Well, long story short, wild. I forget what the new one is. Wildflowers people call me. (0:38:40) Kev: I’ll do the blurb for your next one. I’ll do it. All right. Let’s get into it. (0:38:42) Al: Alright, let’s talk about some games then. I don’t know if you’ve got anything else that (0:38:49) Al: you want to talk about other than the stuff that’s in this list, because I think, but (0:38:52) Kev: OK, there’s– here, let me see if I can find a– (0:38:53) Al: I think this is all the Cottagecore related stuff in my list. Let’s go, let’s go with (0:39:01) Kev: just go to– I’ll be looking up another list. (0:39:04) Al: it. So we started off with Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar. No new real information, but (0:39:10) Al: There was a new trailer with some. (0:39:12) Al: Uh, bits and pieces and, uh, I’m going to be honest. (0:39:15) Al: I’m really excited about this game. (0:39:16) Al: I think I’m, I’ve, I never played the original obviously. (0:39:19) Al: Um, and it does things a bit differently. (0:39:20) Kev: Yeah, it looks it looks good. I’ll say that. It looks like it has that, you know, Nintendo (0:39:21) Al: Um, so I’m excited to play it. (0:39:32) Kev: C.Lo quality story of seasons quality that they do. It looks good. I’ll say that. Yeah. (0:39:32) Al: Next one that I wanted to talk about was gourdlets together. So it’s a new gourdlets game. It’s (0:39:44) Al: a multiplayer gourdlets game. Which I feel like is a fun thing to add into a gourdlets (0:39:50) Al: game. I guess the question is, does this feel like it should have been a separate game or (0:39:55) Al: should it have been an update to gourdlets? I don’t know, but it is what it is. I guess (0:39:57) Kev: another mode. I don’t either. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s true. Well, I could have seen that even (0:40:02) Al: it’s cheap. It feels a bit selfish to ask for anything more. (0:40:16) Kev: more paid DLC by that point with the difference. But yeah, I guess so. I don’t know. It’s not (0:40:22) Kev: appealing to me, like, I don’t know, I’m just not feeling it, but it’s cool. (0:40:27) Kev: It’s cool to see them, you know, wanting to do this. (0:40:30) Al: Yeah, it also feels, I think it feels much, it looks like it’s much more character-based (0:40:36) Al: rather than obviously the girdlets was design-based, like management style, whereas this, I think, (0:40:43) Al: looks like you’re controlling a character because it’s the multiplayer aspect. So I’m (0:40:49) Al: thinking that might vibe with me more than the previous one. (0:40:52) Kev: Yeah. No, I can see that. That’s fair. (0:40:56) Al: we got something that you’ll be interested in, Luma Island, the (0:41:00) Kev: Well, you know what I do like pirates you’re right about that (0:41:06) Al: Well you played. Did you not play Luma Island? Am I misremembering? (0:41:06) Kev: It looks I didn’t play them island. No, that wasn’t me (0:41:10) Al: Oh, I know Johnny did, but I thought you had done as well. Oh well. (0:41:13) Kev: No, I don’t think no that was me but I do like pirates (0:41:15) Al: Well the Luma Island pirate update is coming out on the 20th of June. So we had, (0:41:19) Al: we already knew about the pirate update, but now we know that it’s coming out next week. (0:41:26) Kev: you go. It’s pretty looking, I guess. I like pirates, I don’t know. Okay, like, you know, (0:41:32) Al: We got a new trailer for tales of the shire as well. (0:41:38) Kev: in the past week, I actually watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And like, dang, man, (0:41:44) Kev: what a what a legacy you have to live up to. Okay, first off, did we have a date? Because (0:41:54) Kev: We finally got a date. (0:41:55) Al: We did. We did have a date when when they delayed it from March, they gave us a date of that point. So yeah, this is this is still what we were expecting. (0:41:56) Kev: I’m kidding. Okay. Okay. Well, that’s soon. It looks kind of like where it was at. I don’t (0:42:07) Kev: know what to say. I’m pretty sure the game is clear what it’s going to be. And as I watched (0:42:16) Kev: The Lord of the Rings and looking at this trailer, I’m thinking, “I don’t know if this (0:42:21) Kev: is the one for me. I’m not the one who wants to live in a hobbit. I want to hang out with (0:42:26) Kev: you.” That’s what I want to do in Middle Earth. (0:42:28) Al: Yeah. I’m a bit the same. I just, I don’t know what it is about this game that’s not (0:42:36) Al: grabbing me because A Lord of the Rings, Shire based culture game should be something that (0:42:42) Al: I would love, but I just, I don’t know. There’s just, it’s not grabbed me in anything other (0:42:48) Al: than the concept since it was announced. (0:42:48) Kev: yeah yeah that’s the hard part right is the concept gonna be better than the game maybe (0:42:57) Kev: uh that’s that’s you know that’s tough it like I said it’s when you put the lord of the rings (0:43:03) Kev: name on the box you have made things so much harder for yourself because that’s a lot of (0:43:08) Kev: expectations on now um but we’ll see maybe when it comes on it’s actually incredible I don’t know (0:43:16) Kev: Gandalf looked very kawaii, I’ll give him that. (0:43:18) Kev: They give us little ubu Gandalf. (0:43:21) Al: “I think it’s the character models that really confuse me. It’s not that I hate how they look, (0:43:27) Kev: Yeah, they do feel a little weird. (0:43:28) Al: I just… I don’t know. It’s so hard to explain.” (0:43:33) Kev: Yeah, no, I know exactly what you mean. (0:43:35) Kev: It’s something– it’s just a little je ne sais quoi. (0:43:40) Kev: I agree. (0:43:42) Al: Not normally used in a positive frame, not a negative frame, but fair enough. (0:43:42) Kev: But yeah. (0:43:49) Kev: But we’ll see. (0:43:50) Kev: It’s coming out soon. (0:43:51) Kev: And maybe it’ll surprise us still. (0:43:56) Al: Next, we had a new game, Linked Banner of the Spark. Build a bright new world alongside (0:44:01) Kev: oh my goodness this game (0:44:05) Al: a band of rescued robot buddies in this colourful action RPG, battle waves of enemies in solo (0:44:10) Al: or co-op, then return home and use your parts to craft a thriving town, assemble your crew, (0:44:15) Al: and grow stronger with each new adventure. I mean, this is basically like robot cult (0:44:19) Al: of the lamb, right? Go out and get stuff, and then save some creatures, and then come (0:44:24) Al: back and build a town. (0:44:27) Al: Kotlin did it really well, so if it implements it well, I think this could be really good. (0:44:32) Kev: It looks so good to me. (0:44:34) Kev: Like, oh man, ‘cause I’ve never called credit (0:44:40) Kev: within the trailer show. (0:44:41) Kev: There’s still like some gardening (0:44:42) Kev: or something like that, I think. (0:44:43) Al: There’s definitely farming, I’m seeing a farming plot. (0:44:43) Kev: But either, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:44:47) Al: It doesn’t look like it’s a big thing, it looks like it’s relatively small, but it is (0:44:53) Kev: But like, it does it great. (0:44:56) Kev: ‘Cause you have that and you have, you know, (0:44:57) Kev: you’re throwing robots in there. (0:44:58) Kev: Well, you know, that can be a different number of ways, (0:45:01) Kev: but the robot portion of it. (0:45:02) Kev: It looks sick, like you have a lot of knife hands like there’s some that look kind of threatening or genuinely actiony. (0:45:09) Kev: Um, there’s robot fish. That’s kind of fun. Um, I’m excited about this one. This one is high up on my list. It looks great. Um, the gameplay looks like what I want to the world’s colorful. I can’t wait. I’m so excited for this one. (0:45:26) Al: Yeah, I agree. Looks really fun. (0:45:28) Kev: All right, what’s next that’s not linked and thusly not as high on my list. (0:45:32) Kev: Oh well that blew up in my face because I forgot no this one is high up on my list too. (0:45:32) Al: Milano Milano’s odd collection or job collection. (0:45:43) Al: This one is, I think, PlayStation style is what they’re going. (0:45:48) Al: They’re calling it PlayStation one style. (0:45:48) Kev: Is (0:45:53) Al: It’s. (0:45:55) Kev: You okay, you g

For our 181st edition of the cast, in our “This our That” segment, we draw the category of Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit characters from the Middle Earth trilogies, with some of the great characters ranked against one another. We also discuss R-Truth, Billy Madison, The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2, Hershel Rhee, & SO MUCH MORE!

Reposted from The ‘Cast of the Rings, which you can find and subscribe to at: podcastica.com/podcast/the-cast-of-the-rings-a-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-podcast—Greetings, Hobbitses, Elveses, Riders of the Rohirrim and Middle Earth wanderers, welcome to our podcast.On this episode we catch up and reminisce on Penny's recent trip to visit Anwen in Middle Earth, share our thoughts on the War of the Rohirrim movie, and discuss some Rings of Power news!The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 is confirmed'Rings Of Power Adds Jamie Campbell Bower To Season 3 CastDave Dobbyn - Welcome Home (Official Music Video)For those wanting to explore further, you can find an encyclopedia of everything from Tolkien's works here: glyphweb.com. To explore the world of Middle Earth portrayed in the books and on screen, go to: lotr.fandom.com For even more Tolkien goodness, try this fan wiki Tolkien GatewayYou can find our contact info and all our other shows at: podcastica.com Join our community and support the Podcastica network at Podcastica. Fun, in-depth talk about great TV.Music: Now We Ride by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Join The Man of the West as he continues his trip through Rohan on Middle-earth Map Monday in a visit to the caves of Helm's Deep: the Glittering Caves of Aglarond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AFOLs Welcome Podcast - Episode Details In this weeks episode West and Grinch dive deep into Middle Earth and discuss what we believe is one of if not the greatest Lego theme of all time. As always feel free to join in to the conversation in the comment section. Socials: Instagram: afols_welcome Episode Time Stamps: 0:00 - 5:24 Intro/What Are We Building 5:24 - 17:21 Exciting Lego News 17:21 - 1:27:30 Today's Topic 1:27:30 - 1:45:13 Brick Mail AFOLs Welcome is a weekly podcast where co-hosts Grinch and West have discussions about the brick-built world of Lego. Join us as we dive deep into hot topics, Lego themes, and more from the perspective of two adult fans of Lego. Contact Us: If you would like to reach out to the podcast and be featured in an episode, please email us at AFOLsWelcome@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram at AFOLs Welcome. Reviews and Feedback: Reviews and constructive, polite feedback are strongly encouraged. Please review, like, or subscribe wherever you find yourself listening to our show! As always, thank you for listening, and we'll catch you on the next one!

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 102 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by the Head of Content for The Ringer and co-host of The Big Picture podcast Sean Fennessey to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, King Kong (2005). After making one of the most successful trilogies of all time, winning dozens of Oscars, making billions of dollars at the box office, and defying all odds due to the inadaptability of the source material, Peter Jackson was on top of the cinematic world. Following up The Lord of the Rings was going to be no small task, but the director had essentially created an opportunity that very few artists get to have in a career; he earned a blank check to make whatever he wanted. In doing this, he came back to a project he had been trying to make years before his work in Middle Earth; a remake of one of the most iconic films in the history of cinema, King Kong. In making a direct remake of the 1939 classic, Jackson was able to recreate and expand a film that changed his life when he first saw it as a child in a local theater with his mother. But in doing so, he made a heavily CGI'd spectacle filled with dinosaurs that bogs down the emotional, fantastical elements at the core of the original story, and an effort that showed the problematic signs of what happens when total creative control is handed to those that need a little bit of a guiding hand. Ryan, Jay, and Sean breakdown their thoughts on the film, the other versions of King Kong, the career of Naomi Watts, how Jack Black is still a giant movie star, Adrian Brody's Oscar speech, why no one can make a good dinosaur film outside the first Jurassic Park, why this movie didn't work, why Sean picked this film to come on and talk about, and how nice a guy David Cronenberg seems. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h43m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lovely Bones. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

What does a Shire full of hobbits in Middle-Earth, a county full of farmers in Kentucky, and a wardrobe full of a lion have in common? For Russell Moore and singer/songwriter/author Andrew Peterson, they were all a way to find home.    In this episode—recorded inside Peterson's book-lined Chapter House in Nashville, right down the road from Moore—the two talk about the authors who, by God's grace, helped hold their faith together when it could have come apart. From the wisdom of Wendell Berry to the imagination of C.S. Lewis to the honesty of Frederick Buechner, these authors gave a clarity that helped these two keep the faith.    This isn't just a literary conversation. It's about how God uses stories, sentences, and sometimes even sword-wielding mice to reach people in moments of doubt, disillusionment, or despair. Along the way, they talk about what it means to read widely, to hold onto wonder, and to be the kind of Christian who can still be surprised by joy.   They also somehow end up talking about Moby Dick, Dungeons & Dragons, and how ChatGPT was wrong and right about what books each of them would take to a desert island.    Books and authors mentioned in this episode include: Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry A Room Called Remember and Telling Secrets by Frederick Buechner The Chronicles of Narnia, Till We Have Faces, Mere Christianity, and more by C.S. Lewis Godric by Frederick Buechner David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson Moby Dick by Herman Melville Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs And selections from Andrew's own works: Adorning the Dark, The God of the Garden, and The Wingfeather Saga Whether you're deep in faith, on the brink of losing it, or just looking for something beautiful to read, this conversation will remind you why the right book at the right moment can do more than explain—it can point to new life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's finally here! With the announcement of Armies of Middle-earth and the Matched Play Guide on the horizon, we break down the preview articles released this week.Our Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWestFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_Time Stamps:00:00 Introduction01:41 Armies of Middle-earth & Matched Play Guide04:20 Prince Imrahil07:35 Khazad Guard11:23 Tom Bombadil & Goldberry13:24 Dragon19:03 Black Dragon WarriorOur Sponsors:Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WESTMithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrushCredits:Music:Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Music: RedlineMusician: EnjoyMusicSite: https://enjoymusic.ai

Join The Man of the West as he begins Series 11 of Today's Tolkien Times with a return to Middle-earth Map Monday as our Rohan road trip stops at Súthburg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

World leaders from Ukraine to Germany, the UK, France, and the U.S., are being caught with drugs of one sort or another. From cocaine to the recent report that Elon Musk, though he denies it, was nearly overdosing on ketamine, adderall, ecstasy and psychedelics during the campaign trail and after. The same has been reported of the WEF at Davos, people obsessed with magic mushrooms and hookers. Beyond the obvious motif of wealthy people splurging on carnal delights, there may be something darker at work, especially when considering that for years there has been speculation that the UN's own Meditation Room was actually a space for channeling sessions with spirits. The lore of Vril, dating to before WWII, involves a psychic energy used by an alien race - in occult lore the Vril were a society contacting aliens and spirits to obtain assistance in technological development. The term was originally coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in his 1871 novel ‘The Coming Race'. The techno-term “algorithm,” based on Persian mathematics, is itself connected to the Demon Star ALGOL, also known as a Demon's Eye. This “eye” plays a significant role in both fiction and modern technology.  Since 2025 began we have seen the full scale implementation of STARGATE, a program to develop gene-altering cancer shots (preceding the HHS-NIH announcement of universal flu and covid shots), and now recent contracts signed by PALANTIR by the Trump administration to create an all-knowing database of information on more than just American citizens. Itself followed up by a $795-million contract between the DOD and Palantir. STARGATE involves, of peculiar interest, OpenAI (to open an eye), Oracle (a prophet who can see beyond time), and Nvidia (the evil eye). The first company is run by Sam Altman, whose name means in Hebrew “name of the old God,” and Samael (the Talmudic archangel of seduction, accusation, and destruction) ‘altering-man'; whose recent announcement involves a device called ORB that verifies humans via iris scans and then gives them a WORLD ID / DIGITAL PASSPORT, WORLDCOIN GLOBAL CURRENCY, and UBI or Universal Basic Income; the scan verifies human-carbon, i.e., 666.  The second company is run by Larry Ellison, whose name means in Hebrew “light of my God Yahweh,” or “victory of the son of Elohim.” The third company is named after the seven deadly sins and the poison of the evil eye. PALANTIR was officially established by a guy “obsessed with warding of death... with a young person's blood,” Peter Thiel, whose name means “stone of the valley/below/abyss.” Alongside these technocrats are Yuval Harari, whose name means in Hebrew “streaming from the mountain,” and Elon Musk, whose X-AI, GROK, is named after a fictional martian language that means to “understand deeply,” from Robert Heinlein's ‘Stranger in a Strange Land'; its logo is the planet Saturn, god of time. Elon is also the name of a technologically advanced alien leader on the martian planet in the book ‘Mars: A Technical Tale', written by NASA father Wernher Von Braun. PALANTIR itself is named after palantír from Lord of the Rings (Saturn), a seeing-stone-crystal sphere used for communication and intelligence gathering. It is also where the Eye of Sauron was able to keep his eye on Middle Earth. Thiel is also co-founder of Rivendell 7 and Mithril Capital, both named after LOTR, the latter of which is a mythical elvish city. This is the same Thiel who fueled the rise of JD Vance into the White House, the now VP to POTUS Trump who just signed a deal with PALANTIR and who is assisting in pushing Musk's electric cars. Altman, Ellison, Harari, even Elon Musk “aspirationally,” are Jewish, with questions about Thiel's actual background speculated upon. The same is true for Larry Fink of BLACKROCK, Stephen Schwarzman of BLACKSTONE, Dan Zorella and Avi Yanus of BLACK CUBE, and even the general BLACKBOX AI that nobody seems able to comprehend even if they helped build it - Ellison says it is mostly coming from Israel and Tel Aviv. This is the same black cube that Jews wear and Muslims walk around, with black stone, in their holy city. PALANTIR'S history is peculiar too, not just its name. Peter Thiel started the company officially soon after 911 by using PayPal security algorithms. It was founded in May 2003, the same month and year that the US Information Awareness Office and DARPA renamed their Total Information Awareness program to Terrorism Information Awareness, and a few months before in September Congress pulled funding. The blueprint for this post-911 world, PNAC, was written by William Kristol and Robert Kagan, and the Patriot Act was co-authored by Michael Chertoff, former homeland security head, who helped sell body scanners to airports. All three of these men are jewish. As for PALANTIR, besides Thiel, Alex Karp and Stephen Cohen are major jewish founders alongside Joe Lonsdale and Nathan Gettings, the former of which had one of the least official roles. According to the Electronic Privacy Information Center writing about TIA: “Congress eliminated funding for the controversial project and closed the Pentagon's Information Awareness Office, which had developed TIA. This does not, however, necessarily signal the end of other government data-mining initiatives that are similar to TIA.”What was a DARPA-CIA-NSA-USIAO plan to “track individuals through collecting as much information about them as possible and using computer algorithms and human analysis to detect potential activity,” suddenly became PALANTIR unofficially, even though both the NSA and PALANTIR both ran a PRISM program - a program we learned about from Edward Snowden in June 2013, just 3 months before Katy Perry released her first “dark” album called PRISM. The goal of PRISM was to retrieve data directly from Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, and Apple. And what is a prism but a three-dimensional solid shape; a polyhedron like a cube; a glass device that breaks down white light.Beyond data acquisition, the goal was techno-super-natural: “understand and even preempt' future action,” wrote the New York Times. The NYT reported that conveniently PALANTIR “secured an estimated $2 million from In-Q-Tel, a venture-capital firm that finances the development of technologies that can help the C.I.A.” That's the same In-Q-Tel where, at one of their conferences, David Petraeus, former CIA director, said that the Internet of PCs and Things “are learning to perceive - to actually sense and respond.” Soon after we saw the emergence of Q-Anon, a Self Organizing Collective Intelligence, which today with AI-models trained on human data, are convincing people they are unlocking the secrets and conspiracies of the universe and becoming prophets. As per a recent Rolling Stone article, “Self-styled prophets are claiming they have 'awakened' chatbots and accessed the secrets of the universe through ChatGPT.”FREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVEX / TWITTER FACEBOOKYOUTUBEMAIN WEBSITECashApp: $rdgable Paypal email rdgable1991@gmail.comEMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTRadio@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 101 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Griffin Schiller to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). One final time, in the winter of 2003, the world ran to the theaters to see the final chapter in what was the greatest, most important cinematic trilogy with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. In the climatic ending of Peter Jackson's masterpiece, we find the war for Middle Earth taking full effect as Frodo and Sam get closer and closer to destroying the ring of power once and for all. With many memorable moments (and a few too many endings?), Jackson was able to stick the landing, resulting the movie event of the 21st century, the highest grossing film of 2003, and performing a clean sweep as Return of the King went on to win eleven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Jackson. Ryan, Jay, and Griffin break down their thoughts on the third film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, if the extended cut of the film adds anything but runtime to the final film, the ending controversy, every character's arc and how they are wrapped up, how emotional the film is, if this is the most important, best blockbuster of the 21st century, and so much more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h25m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, King Kong. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Fr. Anthony talks with returning guest co-host Richard Barrett about Chapter 5 of the Fellowship of the Ring: A Conspiracy Unmasked, and they dig deeply into an entirely different sort of music in Middle Earth than Richard and Fr. Andrew discussed five years ago.

Episode 580: Meeple Nation May 2025 News - New Games, Announcements, & Crowdfunding! Release Date: May 28, 2025 Welcome to Episode 580 of Meeple Nation, The World's Okayest Podcast! This week, Nathan, Douglas, and Dave pull up a chair to the game table to dive into all the exciting news from the board gaming world for May 2025. We're covering a ton of ground, including: New Game Releases: Discover what's just hit the shelves and is ready for your game night! New Game Announcements: Get the scoop on upcoming titles that have the community buzzing. Crowdfunding Games: We'll highlight some intriguing projects currently seeking support on Kickstarter and Gamefound. In this episode, we chat about: Our Gaming Highlights: Nathan: Twilight Inscription Flip 7 Hadrian's Wall Douglas: Arkham Horror Dave: Dominion Hot New Releases: Marvel Champions: Silk Hero Pack Marvel Champions: Black Panther Hero Pack (Suri) Cyclades: Legendary Edition Parks Second Edition Knitting Circle Zombicide 2nd Ed: PariZ Marvel Zombies Marvel Zombies: X-Men Resistance Santorini: Pantheon Edition Toy Battle Tiny Turbo Cars Dragon Eclipse Pokemon Critter Kitchen Emerald Skull Exciting Announcements: Battle for Hoth (Command and Colors) Risk GI Joe: Special Missions Risk Legacy 7 Wonders Dice Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth 7 Wonders Architects Slam Throne Pogs Sea Salt & Paper: Extra Pepper Lorcana: Reign of Jafar Grand Central Skyport Skyrise Cloud City The Anarchy Hadrian's Wall Dry Erase Board SETI: Space Agencies Mystery of the Abbey In the Footsteps of Darwin: Correspondence 7 Empires Crowdfunding Spotlight: Kickstarter: Flamecraft Duels Gamefound: Aeon's End: Beyond the Breach A huge shout-out to our amazing sponsors, Game Toppers and SaltCON! Whether you're a veteran gamer or just getting into the hobby, there's something for everyone in this action-packed episode. Join us for your essential dose of board game news and discussion! Connect with Meeple Nation: Website: Meeplenation.com SaltPOD: A SaltCON Podcast: SaltPOD Email: MeepleNation@gmail.com Patreon: Meeple Nation Instagram: @meeplenation Facebook Page: Meeple Nation Facebook Group (Meeple Nation Off Air): Meeple Nation Off Air X (Twitter): @MeepleNation Discord: Meeple Nation YouTube: Meeple Nation Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on your favorite podcast platform!

We invite Jake onto the show to talk about his recent travels in Europe, and his experience and success in the MESBG tournaments abroad.Our Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWestFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_Time Stamps:00:00 Intro00:59 NA vs Europe12:12 City of Kings: Terrain20:19 City of Kings: Custom Scenarios21:49 Level of Play33:30 Final ThoughtsOur Sponsors:Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WESTMithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrushCredits:Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Darshan H. Brahmbhatt, Podcast Editor of JACC: Advances, discusses a recently published original research paper on Genotype-Negative Patients With Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Traveling to the “Middle Earth”.

In Episode 250 we discuss the top 5 board game publishers that are represented on our game shelves.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction02:52 Top 5 Publishers On Our Game Shelves06:44 Dire Wolf (Clank! Legacy, Clank! In Space, Dune: Imperium - Uprising)08:54 Wehrlegig Games (Pax Pamir 2nd Edition, John Company 2nd Edition)10:47 CMON Games (Blood Rage, Cthulhu: Death May Die, Rising Sun)12:57 AEG (Cascadia, Calico, Let's Go To Japan)17:17 Eagle-Gryphon Games and (Baseball Highlight 2045, Xenon Profiteer, On Mars, Clockwork Wars) - Buffalo Games (Planted, Oh No! Volcano)18:51 Garphill Games (Architects of the West Kingdom, Paladins of the West Kingdom, Legacy of Yu)22:30 Wise Wizards Games (Star Realms, Star Realm: Rise of Empire, Hero Realms, Robot Quest Arena)25:13 Cosmodrome Games (Smartphone, Inc., Frozen Frontier, Aquatica)25:52 GMT Games (Dominant Species, SpaceCorp: 2025-2300AD, A Gest of Robin Hood) 30:35 REPOS Production (7 Wonders, 7 Wonders Duel, Just One, Fun Facts, Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth)32:07 Awaken Realms (Nemesis, This War of Mine, Lords of Ragnarok, Tainted Grail, Great Wall, Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition)37:04 Roxley Games (Brass: Birmingham, Radlands, Dice Throne, Skyrise)38:51 Stonemaier Games (Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest, Scythe, Viticulture, Tapestry, Apiary, Red Rising, Wingspan, My Little Scythe, Pendulum, Expeditions)44:12 Fantasy Flight Games (Battle for Rokugan, Star Wars Rebellion, Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game, Android Netrunner, Arkham Horror: CCG)48:26 CGE (T'zolkin: The Mayan Calendar, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Codenames, Pulsar 2849, Under Falling Skies)50:28 Final ThoughtsIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakesFollow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.socialJoin our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205Join our Discord server at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

My wife got me a book about Tolkien I didn't know existed forChristmas (yay!). Unfortunately it's not really worth the read(boo!).Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon):https://playeur.com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:fTwitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlorePatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tolkiengeekXero Shoes (affiliate link): https://xeroshoes.com/go/TolkienGeekDiscord server invite link: https://discord.gg/EVKynAj2m9 (Iflink is expired contact me at tolkienloremaster@gmail.comand I'll send a fresh invite link).

Get BTMC: PROTAGONIST EDITION: ⁠⁠https://becomingmain.supercast.com/⁠⁠We're in the thick of it now. The Fellowship has dissolved, Gandalf is gone, and the shadow of Mordor grows slowly over Middle Earth...What will the heroes do? And more importantly, what choices of theirs can we analyze? Hop in, we're going for the next chapter of the Lord of the Rings.In this episode: learn how Saruman uses manipulation tactics in his speech, why Faramir got done the most dirty by the Peter Jackson films, and how even a humble gardener like Samwise can become the most heroic figure, and more!BTMC: Protagonist Edition, where you can get EXTENDED VERSIONS of the episodes to take you even deeper into the story with more scenes, more lessons, and more of everything that makes the show what it is, as well as access to all of the Character Analysis episodes. Sign up link below: Get BTMC: PROTAGONIST EDITION: ⁠https://becomingmain.supercast.com/⁠FOLLOW BTMC FOR MORE GREAT CONTENT:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/becomingmain⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/becomingmain⁠⁠⁠⁠

In today's episode, Liam & Ben must work out which members of The Fellowship of The Ring would shop at which UK supermarkets.That's it, that's the whole episode. You'll love it.============================This show will always be free, but super fans are encouraged to support The Conversation Hat via Patreon. You'll be able to access a special, patron-only mini-episode every month and a members-only Discord channel:www.patreon.com/conversationhatGet your very own Conversation Hat tees, mugs and more from TeePublic. You can also get loads of cool, nerdy and funny designs on TeePublic and, if you use our link, we get some affiliate income too. Which is neat:www.teepublic.com/stores/conversation-hatOther ways to support without giving us money: - Tell a friend about the show! - Find us on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook then like, follow, share and all of that good stuff! - Find the podcast on YouTube and watch all our videos: https://www.youtube.com/@convohatpodcast ============================The Conversation Hat is hosted by Ben Pierson and Liam TaylorEdited by Liam TaylorMusic by Liam TaylorLogo by Cheyenne Valentine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us a textAs the Cannes festival ends, we interviewed some key player regarding how the biggest film festival in the world impacts Chinese cinema.Featuring- Cao Liuying  : Parallax Films - Sales Agent- Clément Magar : Fortissimo Films - General Manager- Qu Zhizheng : Director & CinematographerTo go further- Middle Earth episode #44 Does China still make indie films?Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project, like shooting your next documentary, or are looking for a specific talent, please get in touch! Chinese speaker? Follow our Bilibili account 阿拉丁_说电影 or RedNote (阿拉丁说电影)The World of Chinese MagazineA magazine about Chinese society, culture, history, arts, language, and more.

JT's Mix Tape Episode 30 w/ Ricardo  @Contendforthefaith1 Please support our sponsor Modern Roots Life: https://modernrootslife.com/?bg_ref=rVWsBoOfcFIsrael & Petra Trip with @stargate_voyager Use Stargate2 if you sign up! https://www.lipkintours.com/index.php?dir=site&page=catalog&op=item&cs=3550 JESUS SAIDTHERE WOULD BE HATERS Shirts: https://jtfollowsjc.com/product-category/mens-shirts/ WOMEN'S SHIRTS: https://jtfollowsjc.com/product-category/womens-shirts/In this episode, JT,  @demonerasers  and Ricardo delve into a variety of topics ranging from the collaboration on upcoming projects to the exploration of historical maps and their implications. They discuss the rich mythos of Tolkien's works, the deceptive nature of characters like Sauron, and the influence of media on perceptions of fear and reality. The conversation also touches on the nature of sin, the manifestations of evil, and the legacy of mythology in modern storytelling. Throughout the discussion, they draw connections between ancient narratives and contemporary issues, emphasizing the importance of understanding these themes in today's world. In this conversation, Ricardo and JT delve into various themes surrounding mythology, biblical prophecy, and the nature of faith. They explore the connections between Tolkien's Middle Earth and biblical narratives, discussing the significance of figures like Melchizedek and the concept of divine cities. The discussion also touches on the themes of judgment, the cyclical nature of history, and the importance of faith in navigating spiritual challenges. They emphasize the need for critical thinking in understanding history and prophecy, ultimately highlighting the enduring truth of God's promises.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jt-s-mix-tape--6579902/support.

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 100 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002). Once The Fellowship of the Ring released into theaters, and became the biggest film of the year, audiences didn't have to wait too long to go back and continue the journey in Middle Earth as the winter of 2002 brought the second chapter of The Lord of the Rings to the big screen. Continuing the events of the saga just after the separation of the fellowship, our heroes venture off into three separate but vital storylines for the ultimate destination of destroying the ring of power and saving Middle Earth from a dark war. Though the middle chapter, many, including Ryan, hold The Two Towers as their favorite entry into the trilogy, one with heart, action, and a new, game changing character in Gollum that makes for one of the most important villains in modern film. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia break down their thoughts on the film, the revolutionary work on Gollum, casting what ifs, the introduction to the Kingdom of Rohan and its incredible characters, why Jay doesn't think Legolas isn't that cool, what the gang was like in high school, space missions, favorite type of potato, and so many more thing about and not about the film. It's the 100th episode and it's a damn good one. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h54m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

In the third of five special episodes to celebrate this podcast's 300th episode, focused on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, this episode is the second middle chapter, with no beginning and no end, just like The Two Towers.The Two Towers ups the ante from The Fellowship of the Ring, balancing intense action with rich storytelling. This episode focuses on the pivotal Battle of Helm's Deep and the groundbreaking introduction of Gollum, a character that redefined motion capture in film. Gollum's evolution from CGI concept to a fully realized character, is thanks to Andy Serkis' groundbreaking performance. The filming for The Two Towers included gruelling night shoots, and the sheer scale of the battle scenes meant that the crew ended up with "I survived Helm's Deep" t-shirts. It was a monumental filmmaking achievement, taking months to shoot under challenging conditions. The Lord of the Rings wouldn't be The Lord of the Rings, if it didn't feel like The Lord of the Rings, and esteemed Tolkien illustrators Alan Lee and John Howe were brought on as conceptual designers, ensuring visual continuity with the imagery many readers associated with the books. The artistry behind the sets and props in the series reflects a rich history, with every detail crafted to enhance the authenticity of Middle Earth. We wants it, we needs it.This episode is Part 2 of a three-part story, as well as Part 3 of a five-part group of episodes. You probably should take a listen to the previous episode, if you haven't!I would love to hear your thoughts on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [Part 3 of 5] !Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and is also now nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes.CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMAVerbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioPatrons: Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Dave, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete,...

Discover five essential books that reshaped how I see J.R.R. Tolkien, his stories, and the world of Middle-earth. From rare insights into Tolkien's imagination to indispensable resources like The Atlas of Middle-earth and the newly expanded Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, these titles reveal hidden depths of the legendarium. Whether you're a first-time reader of The Lord of the Rings or a longtime fan seeking to expand your Tolkien bookshelf, these books offer fresh perspectives, fascinating backstories, and little-known mysteries of Middle-earth. Includes reflections on Tolkien's medievalist influences, Carl Jung connections, unpublished manuscripts, and the guiding light behind this podcast.Share this episode using this link:ringspodcast.com/213Who are you?Please tell me a little about you: ringspodcast.com/surveyWander Farther: A Free Reading GuideDownload my FREE guide for reading Tolkien's Silmarillion: https://ringspodcast.kit.com/a982347493Deals for you, my fellow wandererExclusive discount for Lore of the Rings Listeners: 25% off your entire order at Manly Bands. Details at https://www.ringspodcast.com/p/rings/Want to sponsor the Lore of the Rings?Sponsor rates, details, and inquires hereSupport Lore of the Rings with a donationAbout the Lore of the Rings PodcastContact the show, donate, and find past episodes: ringspodcast.comEmbark on an immersive journey through the captivating realms of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, where the epic sagas of the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, the Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales, and more come to life. Join us as we delve into the rich tapestry of Tolkien's masterful storytelling, drawing intriguing comparisons between his literary works and the cinematic adaptations crafted by Peter Jackson. Be at the forefront of the latest developments as we explore the highly anticipated Rings of Power series from Amazon. Prepare to be enthralled as we uncover hidden connections, untold tales, and delve into the depths of Middle-earth lore. Tune in now and become part of our fellowship on this extraordinary journey!This podcast is not affiliated with the Tolkien Estate.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ringspodcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A lot of big news out of the Studio Upfronts, the biggest being the return of HBO Max! Also we need to talk about the things Nintendo is doing, because i gotta say, NitenDONT! Plus Waffle House in Tekken is still not any closer, and we got to see our first look at Spider-Noir. Plus I break down my day at Universal Studios Hollywood!

Chapter 4 - TreebeardQ1 - Do you think the God of Middle Earth is causing all these things to happen?‘Hm, but you are hasty folk, I see,' said Treebeard. ‘I am honoured by your confidence; but you should not be too free all at once. There are Ents and Ents, you know; or there are Ents and things that look like Ents but ain't, as you might say. I'll call you Merry and Pippin, if you please – nice names. For I am not going to tell you my name, not yet at any rate.' A queer half-knowing, half-humorous look came with a green flicker into his eyes. ‘For one thing it would take a long while: my name is growing all the time, and I've lived a very long, long time; so my name is like a story. Real names tell you the story of the things they belong to in my language, in the Old Entish as you might say. It is a lovely language, but it takes a very long time to say anything in it, because we do not say anything in it, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to.Q2 - What do you think of Treebeard and Ents?Q3 - Where are the Entwives?There is naught that an old Ent can do to hold back that storm: he must weather it or crack.‘I think that I now understand what he is up to. He is plotting to become a Power. He has a mind of metal and wheels; and he does not care for growing things, except as far as they serve him for the moment. And now it is clear that he is a black traitor. He has taken up with foul folk, with the Orcs. Brm, hoom! Worse than that: he has been doing something to them; something dangerous. For these Isengarders are more like wicked Men. It is a mark of evil things that came in the Great Darkness that they cannot abide the Sun; but Saruman's Orcs can endure it, even if they hate it. I wonder what he has done? Are they Men he has ruined, or has he blended the races of Orcs and Men? That would be a black evil!'Q4 - How did Saruman fall, and what do you think is the Great Darkness?Q5 - What do you think of the Entmoot and the march on Isenguard?Chapter 5 - The White Rider‘We have journeyed a long way round,' said Legolas. ‘We could have all come here safe together, if we had left the Great River on the second or third day and struck west. Few can foresee whither their road will lead them, till they come to its end.'Q1 - What did you think about the Gandalf reveal?‘What then shall I say?' said Gandalf, and paused for a while in thought. ‘This in brief is how I see things at the moment, if you wish to have a piece of my mind as plain as possible. The Enemy, of course, has long known that the Ring is abroad, and that it is borne by a hobbit. He knows now the number of our Company that set out from Rivendell, and the kind of each of us. But he does not yet perceive our purpose clearly. He supposes that we were all going to Minas Tirith; for that is what he would himself have done in our place. And according to his wisdom it would have been a heavy stroke against his power. Indeed he is in great fear, not knowing what mighty one may suddenly appear, wielding the Ring, and assailing him with war, seeking to cast him down and take his place. That we should wish to cast him down and have no one in his place is not a thought that occurs to his mind. That we should try to destroy the Ring itself has not yet entered into his darkest dream. In which no doubt you will see our good fortune and our hope. For imagining war he has let loose war, believing that he has no time to waste; for he that strikes the first blow, if he strikes it hard enough, may need to strike no more. So the forces that he has long been preparing he is now setting in motion, sooner than he intended. Wise fool. For if he had used all his power to guard Mordor, so that none could enter, and bent all his guile to the hunting of the Ring, then indeed hope would have faded: neither Ring nor bearer could long have eluded him. But now his eye gazes abroad rather than near at home; and mostly he looks towards Minas Tirith. Very soon now his strength will fall upon it like a storm.Q2 - Does Sauron really not think they are trying to destroy the ring??‘Wait a minute!' cried Gimli. ‘There is another thing that I should like to know first. Was it you, Gandalf, or Saruman that we saw last night?' ‘You certainly did not see me,' answered Gandalf, ‘therefore I must guess that you saw Saruman. Evidently we look so much alike that your desire to make an incurable dent in my hat must be excused.'Q3 - Did they really see Saruman?Q4 - What do you think of this Saruman plan?We fought far under the living earth, where time is not counted. Ever he clutched me, and ever I hewed him, till at last he fled into dark tunnels. They were not made by Durin's folk, Gimli son of Glo´in. Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. Q5 - Thoughts on Gandalf's fight with the Balrog?Q6 - What do you think Galadriel's message meant to the trio?Where now are the Du´nedain, Elessar, Elessar? Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar? Near is the hour when the Lost should come forth, And the Grey Company ride from the North. But dark is the path appointed for thee: The Dead watch the road that leads to the Sea. To Legolas she sent this word: Legolas Greenleaf long under tree In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea! If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore, Thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more.' Gandalf fell silent and shut his eyes. ‘Then she sent me no message?' said Gimli and bent his head. ‘Dark are her words,' said Legolas, ‘and little do they mean to those that receive them.' ‘That is no comfort,' said Gimli. ‘What then?' said Legolas. ‘Would you have her speak openly to you of your death?' ‘Yes, if she had naught else to say.' ‘What is that?' said Gandalf, opening his eyes. ‘Yes, I think I can guess what her words may mean. Your pardon, Gimli! I was pondering the messages once again. But indeed she sent words to you, and neither dark nor sad. ‘ ‘‘To Gimli son of Glo´in,'' she said, ‘‘give his Lady's greeting. Lockbearer, wherever thou goest my thought goes with thee. But have a care to lay thine axe to the right tree!'' ' ‘In happy hour you have returned to us, Gandalf,' cried the Dwarf, capering as he sang loudly in the strange dwarf-tongue. ‘Come, come!' he shouted, swinging his axe. ‘Since Gandalf's head is now sacred, let us find one that it is right to cleave!'Chapter 6 - The King of the Golden HallQ1 - What are your thoughts on Erodas?Q2 - What are your thoughts on Wormtongue?Q3 - Was there spellwork over Theoden?

Join The Man of the West as Gandalf and his Companions reach Edoras and make their way through the town to the top of the hill and Meduseld itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices